“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer
The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly changed the way we all look at things and how we do things. If your facility has been utilizing contract staff to provide care for the increase in patients when you previously had not needed to, there are a few things we have learned that can benefit your organization in its future hiring practices.
With the nursing demand already significantly higher than the supply when the pandemic hit in the spring of 2020, rates began to rise, sometimes to unsustainable levels. Hospitals were faced with the difficult decision of sacrificing care or sacrificing the bottom line of their budgets. Those who used their typical permanent recruitment dollars to secure contract staff to provide care for the influx of patients, can find the silver lining and give their organization an important advantage when it comes time to hiring in the future.
Gaining Knowledge
By bringing in contract staff, these facilities gained access to the knowledge that comes with someone from outside their organization, with best practices and procedures from other healthcare organizations. Healthcare providers want to help, so asking these individuals about how they performed certain tasks or even about other healthcare systems policies and procedures can give your organization a glimpse at your strengths or opportunities for improvement.
Working Interviews
Facilities that utilized contract staff have added to their talent network. Those contract employees have now had a “working interview” with their management staff, which eliminates some of the risk that comes with hiring someone based solely on a resume. Now when there is a vacancy that needs filled, talent acquisition teams and managers can look back at individuals who have already proven their success within the organization to bolster their recruitment efforts.
Asking for Referrals
Lastly, no matter what industry, when it comes to staffing you often hear “referrals are often the best hires!” This is true in healthcare. Even if the individuals your organization had on assignment during the pandemic are not looking for a full-time role or to come back for another assignment in the future, they have a large network of other individuals who have similar backgrounds and experiences they can share your opportunity with. Reaching out to these healthcare providers to see who they know, and who could be a good fit is an effective, and free, way to recruit for your open positions.
The pandemic put a strain on everyone. Hospitals, healthcare facilities, and providers bore the vast majority of helping us get through this together, which is often a thankless job. We are here not only to thank all the healthcare heroes, but also to help you see the silver lining and use that to your advantage in the future.
Courtney Dobernecker
Courtney has been in healthcare staffing for 10 years, starting her career as an Account Manager with Aureus Medical Group in the Nursing Division before joining the MSP team in 2014. Prior to her current role, Courtney was an Operations Consultant for FocusOne, serving as the lead point of contact for clients in developing the best strategy for staffing initiatives at her client facilities. In her current role, Courtney focuses on meeting the needs of MSP clients by offering customized Medical Solutions’ offerings while providing optimum service, support, and solutions. Courtney graduated with honors earning her BS in Sociology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.